The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-19
EXPLORATIONS IN ALASKA

When our government few years
ago gave vent to speculative fancy by
investing a few million dollars in Rus
sian real estate in the purchase of Alas
ka, there was a strong and clearly de
fined impression in the minds of many
that for once the Yankee had been beat
ell in a dicker, and even the ridiculous
y low. anti-boom price OF ! cent an
acre Uhe average rate) was altogether
100 much to pay for what they were
pleased to facctiously term ian ice
pack and q winter scene" Since then,
however, says The San Francisco Alta.
he newly-acquired territory has risen
somewhat in public estimation, thanks
20 occasional scraps of information
from returned whaling voyagers, but
The cleaning from this source has been
scant at best, and the knowledge thus
secured has not been very widely dis
seminated.
In consequence there has been no.
ticeable of late years growing desire
for some definite and reliable date con-
corning this terra ncognito--a desire
which happily is now filled in large
measure by Capt. M. A. Healey's report
Of the cruise of the revenue marine
steamer Corwin in the Arctic ocean in
1885, and its accompanying documents
and illustrations. This report the first
printed copy of which has just been re-
ceived in this city from the government
pr .nting- office at Washington, makes
handsome volume of 102 pages, dcs-
crptve of Alaska and its resources, and
embellished with seventy Photographic
views of Alaskan scenery and people.
The volume includes the general report
of the operation of the seal fisheries and
sea and other hunting grounds. the re-
port of Lieut. j. c. Cantwell of the ex-
ploration of the Kowah river, with
photographs and book of sketches,
notes of birds of Kowak river and other
portions of Alaska, notes on fisheries
Of Alaska by Charles A. Townsend, of
The United States fish commission, and
the report of Assistant Engineer 5. b.
McLenegan of explorations of the
Noatak river. with elaborate maps, the
first of the Rowan and Noatak rivers,
drawn from reconnoisances made re-
soectively by Cantwell and Nc
Leregan.
The commander in his report says
that during the cruise of the Corwln in
Behring's sea and the Arctic ocean all
the villages adjacent to those waters
were visited, some of them several
times during the season. Owing TO the
nomadic nature of the Indians OF Alas
ka he declares it is impossible to form
ANYTHING more than rough estimate OF
their population, as they travel from
village to village, from island to island,
and to and from the mainland. often
travelling hundreds OF miles, for the
purpose of hunting. trading, and fish
Ing From personal observations.
however, covering a period OF about
fifteen years. Capt. Healey estimates
the number of Indians inhabting the
coast and islands from Point Barrows
to st. Michael's. at 1000, and the num-
Der of interor Indians between those
two points at 1000.
The Indians are treated kindly by all
vessels visiting the Arctic, the sailors
not knowing how soon, by reason OF
some accident. they may be thrown
upon their charity for subsistence until
succor arrives. Every vessel visiting
the Arctic Is boarded by the Indians,
who will afllct ship with their pres
ence for twenty-four or forty eight
hours at time, they never pretending
TO eat their own food as long as they
can beg that of the sailors, and they are
most persistent beggars indeed, this be-
ing especially true when tobacco is in
sight No evidences OF liquor were OBJ
served among the indians of the Alas
kan coast, but among the Siberian nat
ives the presence of liquor was undeni-
ably tested. At Cape Tahaplin Indian
point Indians visited the Corwin in an
intoxicated condition. and the omalik
(chief) coniidentialy informed the cap
tian that they had about fifty barrels of
rum concealed on shore, which
had been traded for by his people with
American whaling vessels.
For their superior sobriety, however.
the Alaskans are not to be credited. as
1t seems, according to there port. that
large number of whales had been taken
by the natives on the Siberian coast, and
they had traded the bones for whisky.
while on the Alas an coast scarce
whale had been caught by the natives,
hence there SURPRISING sobriety.
Concerning the dangers and difficult
les of Arctic navigation, the report
that the prevalence of foggy weather
makes it impossible at times to obtain
astronomical observations, and even
when obtained they are not entirely to
be relied on, owing to the great refac-
ton and indistinct horizon. On por-
tions of the Alaskan coast the general
aa...a... Of Tho lind Ia nncha In nnd for